Forgotten Boundaries
by ZipherAvenger
Summary: In a virtual world where the only way out is death, players have decided to either fight on the front line or attempt to live out their time peacefully in the game. There is one girl, though, that refused to go out easily, even if that meant giving up a world that had much less boundaries than her own. OCs. Image for the story will come when there is enough time to draw it.
1. Chapter 1

Just recently I came across Sword Art Online... and I fell in love with it! And so, I've decided to make a fanfic about my OC's perspective of the whole event. I won't say much about her here, but I'll just mention that she's 16 when the game was released. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the original characters will not be forgotten about. They will be mentioned from time to time but I don't plan on any interaction with them and my OC. She or someone else may comment on them, but that's as far as it goes.

I have not decided yet if I'll be accepting any of your OCs, so we'll just have to wait and see if I end up needing any. As of now, though, I won't be asking for any.

Alright, now that we got all of that out of the way, I hope you all enjoy! I don't claim to have created or own the anime: Sword Art Online. This fic is simply for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

** «Chapter 1: A New Life» **

"Glad to see that you're awake, Kei,"

The girl turned her head to see an elderly man standing in the doorway to her hospital room. She smiled in greeting and allowed her pale green eyes to drift back to the window to her right. A hand unconsciously began to pick at the extra blanket drapped across her legs as he continued to stand there. After a moment the smile disappeared from his face and he approached her bed; he sat himself down in a chair by her side.

"I see that you had guests," he tilted his head in the direction of the vase containing fresh flowers on the bedside table. Kei still didn't bother to verbally respond. Instead her smile turned into a frown and she shook her head. She briefly turned back in the man's direction to point at a small note that lay beside the arrangement. His eyebrows rose in confusion, but instead of questioning her he picked up the piece of paper and let his eyes scan over it.

"Ah... so they're from the nurses. They seem to have taken a liking towards you," he once again attempted to smile only for it to come out as more of a grimace. The man rested the note back on the wood surface and straightened his white coat with shaking fingers. In the meantime Kei had once again began to look out the window. The view was of one rather busy street with cars constantly honking and many people walking about. It was possibly the girl's only way of knowing at least a little bit about what was going on in the world, even if it wasn't much.

The man coughed and stood up to approach a monitor that rested by her bed, "Well, you seem to be doing alright," He murmured as his finger flew across the screen. Images of her vital organs and other parts of her body came up one after the other until the whole screen was filled with the proof of her "growing health." The doctor stepped to the side to allow a view of his apparent success and tapped a finger on one particular picture of her lungs that she had noticed before.

"Your lungs seem much stronger than they have ever been, Kei. You may even be able to go back home shortly!" he smiled once more before having all of the pictures disappear with a simple tap of his finger. The man then gave another look at her vital signs, leaving her to let her mind wander as usual. Kei had heard the same thing before; she wouldn't let them get her hopes up again. She refused to be as disappointed as she had been the last time they decided to play with her mind. They probably hadn't meant to affect her as much as they did, but their actions still didn't make to her.

"This time for sure. I promise you," he added after a moment, snapping her out of her thoughts. Her eyes looked over at his in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that in the slightest. Kei entwined her fingers and rested them in her lap without a word escaping her lips. She would continue with her silence until she actually did leave the hospital for good, that she promised herself.

The doctor sighed and tapped the screen one last time to have it back at her heartbeat. He turned in her direction and rested a hand on hers, "A nurse will be back later to check up on you again. Goodbye,"

Kei didn't release her breath that she had been holding until his footsteps disappeared down the hallway. She loosened her hands and rubbed the skin where his fingers had touched. If what he said was true then she would be able to go back to school. She could have a normal life like before. Kei grimaced as scenes from the accident flashed through her mind. She gently patted her chest, remembering the damage that the crash had caused to her lungs. It was because of the accident that she wouldn't be able to do as much physical activity as before. "Physical activity" included anything from being out with friends for too long or running during gym.

Life was going to be different for her, and definitely not in a good way.

**xX...Xx**

_ «1 year later»  
_

Kei woke up to the blaring of her alarm clock. She grimaced at the annoying sound and rolled over onto her back. A hand reached out to touch the top of the small machine and her room was quiet once more. She tapped it once again and the murmur of voices from a radio station reached her ears. Kei sat up and stretched her arms above her head, sighing in satisfaction. It was the first day of a much-welcomed weekend for her and she planned to spend it in the comfort of her room.

Her eyes wandered over to her desk on the other side of the room and she smiled. She tossed her sheets aside and tip-toed across the floor as to not awake her parents in their bedroom next door. The chair squeaked as she sat down, her hand already reaching to press the power button. Kei placed her elbow on the desk and rested her chin in her hand while the computer whirled to life. It only took less than a minute yet she found herself becoming impatient only after a few seconds. Her fingers immediately went to work with the mouse as soon as the screen came to life.

After a bit of searching Kei was at a certain forum that she had been visiting constantly since her release from the hospital: a gaming forum. She had never really been a fan of video games before her accident, but the experience left her wanting to learn more about what was available in her life. The idea of trying out online games came to her during her first time out to a store with her mother since her release. They had been looking through the magazine aisle and the bizarre cover of one had lured her in. It had been all about the newest games in stores as well as a few that were going to be released in the near future. One advertisement caught her attention, and that was for Sword Art Online.

Kei didn't have time to read through most of the article that was provided, but she did make sure to do some more research on it as soon as she came home. Her search led her to the forum that she soon began to constantly think about. It was mainly just for information and other news, but there was a part of the site where fellow gamers came to talk about whatever fancied their interests. While Kei didn't have much experience with games, that didn't stop her from reading other people's conversations. It was because of them that she knew all that she knew just a year after her newfound freedom.

She leaned back in her chair after a few minutes of scanning the different threads and sighed. There wasn't much time left for her to get ready and make it down to the store. That fact caused her to click the monitor off and be on her way. It was an hour later when she finally arrived at her destination: the local game store. The line had already gone around the building and was starting to creep out into the street by the time Kei got there. It was going to be a long wait when the game was released, that's for sure. She brushed a few dark strands of hair away from her face and stepped in line eagerly. It would all be worth it in the end, she was sure of it.

It was a few hours later when the store opened to the waiting customers. A few tried to push their way past the people in front of them only to be sent to the back of the line, which was then around the other side of the block. After that commotion most seemed to calm down, but there were still a few that seemed pretty restless. Kiei bit down on her bottom lip in anticipation as she inched closer and closer to the entrance. Every time someone came out with a bag that branded the store's logo she felt her excitement grow more and more to the point where she was practically breathing on the person's neck in front of her.

Somehow she was able to keep herself from full-on running and eventually it was her own pair of feet that was walking through the doors that slid aside at her approach. She clutched her hands together and held them to her chest as she went up to the counter. A smile came to her lips and with the assistance of some money she was soon walking out of the store with her very own copy of the game that she had been hoping for.

Kei came to a stop at the edge of the sidewalk and rocked back and forth on the heels of her shoes to try and keep the excitement in. She clutched the bag to her chest and let a hand sneak in to brush against the box. Her parents had given her both the permission and the money to buy the game, much to her surprise. She had originally been worried that they would be concerned about her health. Kei was sure that they would decline her wishes because of the possibility that it would be too much for her body to take. Of course, they didn't just agree on the spot. Her parents first went to the doctor that had originally looked after her and he had assured them that she would be fine. There was nothing wrong with her mind, after all, and that was what the NerveGear mainly affected. It wasn't like she would be in her actual body once in the game.

The thought of going to her parents before heading to her room was completely erased from her mind as soon as she was inside the house. The only time she paused was to kick off her shoes and put them off to the side. Kei then raced up the stairs and around the corner right to her door. She went over to her desk and plopped down in the chair with the bag still in her arms. She rested the bag on the ground and pulled out the box to rest it in her lap. With a few quick tugs she was able to pull out a helmet-shaped contraption.

"Ahhhh," she sighed in wonder before grinning. Her hands just couldn't move fast enough for her liking but eventually she was able to put everything together. Kei giggled, finally letting some of her excitement out and spun around in her chair a few times. She let the chair slowly come to a stop and softly rested her feet on the floor. Her eyes wandered over to the NerveGear that rested on the surface of her desk and her smile turned a bit softer. She picked up the device and held it close to her.

Her lips came to rest on the shiny surface, "You're going to change my life," she murmured, "I'm just sure of it," Kei stood up from her chair and went over to her bed to sit down ontop of the covers. She sat there for a while as her eyes roamed over the NerveGear in her hands. Her clock let out a brief alarm and she looked over to see that it was already 1 o'clock.

"Well... here we go," Kei murmured and lifted the helmet over her head, "I hope you don't prove me wrong," She sighed and rested back on her bed, shifting into a comfortable position as a soft whirling echoed in her ears. She closed her eyes, clutching her hands in tight fists, and erased all of what little fears that had been at the back of her mind all day. Her parents were ridiculous to be concerned. It was just a game, after all. What could it do to hurt her?

_"Link start!"_


	2. Chapter 2

Well, here's the second chapter of Forgotten Boundaries! Hope you all enjoy!

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**«Chapter 2: A Strange Bunch»**

Colors rushed past Kei as she seemed to fly through some kind of tunnel. The sight only lasted a few seconds, though, and a bright flash of white temporarily blinded her. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes before she noticed a menu floating in front of her. A quick look around proved that she was standing in a plain, seemingly-empty space. Kei decided to not dwell on it and instead turned her attention back to the menu where she then went on to sign in. A new menu requesting her to type in a name then popped up with a keyboard just below it. She let her hand hover over the keys for a moment only to falter and rest against her chest.

She had no idea what to name herself. Kei bit down on her bottom lip as she tried to come up with something. She had thought about almost everything else but what other players would call her. A few moments of silence ticked past before she finally rose her hand once more and quickly tapped a name in: Jin.

A new screen then popped up as soon as she had pressed the button to confirm her decision. Kei's eyes widened at the sight of her "avatar" that popped up before her. If it was an example of the actual graphics, she couldn't wait to see the world for herself. Her avatar default was pretty much how she looked instead with a plain shirt and skirt that was a bit shorter than what she was used to. She grimaced at the fashion choice but instead decided to focus on the actual physical features. A few options later left her avatar with bizarre white hair pulled back into two low ponytails that hung down to her waist. Kei shrugged and figured that it would do. In her haste she forgot to change the skirt and only realized this just as she confirmed her choice.

Kei was about to curse before everything went black. After a moment some words in white appeared before her: the game's name. The words then disappeared and she once again saw more colors flash past. She closed her eyes and waited for something to happen; anything. Kei opened an eye to see if she had ended up in the eerily white place again. The sight before her caused her to stumble backwards in shock; she was standing in a town or city of some kind. She blinked a few times and let her gaze wander around her surroundings. There were many people gathered in groups around her as well as a few standing similarly to herself: stiff and with amazement etched across their faces.

One of them, a slightly shorter girl with long, raven hair, began to laugh and clap her hands. Another red-headed boy simply walked off the platform with a smile on his face. Kei turned her attention to the sky above them and reached her hand up as if she thought she could touch the clouds. Maybe she actually could. She could do anything in this world; she was free.

"Alright!" she cheered with a grin plastered across her face. Kei looked around once more at the other players with a curious gleam in her eyes. She would probably have to observe others for the time being in order to get a sense of the game. So far she only knew how to move around and that wouldn't exactly help her with whatever quests she ended up taking on. It wasn't long before she spotted a lightly-armored man make a strange movement with his hand, summoning a small menu to appear before him. Kei looked down at her own hand and tried to mimick the finger positions from what she saw. She took one last look around before trying the move out for herself. To her astonishment a screen of her own popped up after a few tries. A ringing sound welcomed her to the menu and she smiled; so far so good.

Kei briefly scrolled over the five categories in curiosity. She hesitated before turning her attention to the default screen: «Inventory/Equipment». She tapped the «Equipment» sub-menu which then opened up three other sub-menus: «Weapons», «Equipped», and «Accessory». A quick look through each one caused her to grimace; she barely had anything to protect herself with. Only a few basic swords were left for her to use. Still, she equipped one of them and instantly felt an added weight on her waist. Kei briefly looked away from the screen to see a hilt resting against her thigh as it lazily hung from her belt. It was probably better than nothing, even if she didn't really know how to use it.

Another tap of her finger left her back at the default screen and she sighed, wondering what to do next. She looked over the original three sub-menus and eventually decided on looking through «Skills». A scrolling screen appeared to the left and Kei felt a bit disappointed at the sight of barely any skills left available to her. She was definitely at the lowest of the low if she only had a couple. She didn't exactly know the full extent of how important they were, but she had a good idea.

Kei groaned and rested her face in her hands. She knew that she had to keep using them in order to gain more, but that wouldn't exactly be an easy task for a newbie like herself. As she thought about it, she probably should've slowed down and read the pamphlet that came with the game instead of just quickly flipping through it. She knew only some of the basics and didn't exactly have a plan.

"Hey," a voice called out from behind her. Kei turned her head to see another player that seemed to have just spawned. She brushed some of her bangs from her eyes and faced the boy with a smile,

"Oh, hi," her voice shook a bit and she mentally cursed herself for sounding so pathetic. She straightened her back and rested a hand on her hip while using the other to cough into to clear her throat, "I'm guessing you just got here, as well?" Kei said in a higher voice; she wasn't going to let other people consider the idea of her being weak, even if she physically was. Well, technically the player's strength and other skills were based on numbers and not the physical condition of their bodies once in-game. That would be to her advantage once she actually got out there and leveled up.

"You could say that," the stranger chuckled and held out a hand for her to shake, "My name is Roluz. And you?" His name popped up by a green bar above his head as he spoke. Kei didn't bother to hesitate grabbing the man's hand in return, but she couldn't help but to feel a bit unnerved by his unclear response. After a few seconds she pulled her hand away and clasped her fingers together.

"I'm K-," she slapped a hand over her mouth, "Ah, I mean... I'm Jin. Do you kno-" "Hey!"

She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see someone flash past and right into Roluz's arms. The new girl gave him a quick hug before turning around to greet Kei with a clumsy flourish of her hand. The blonde had the majority of her hair pulled back into a messy bun at the bottom of her neck while a few strands were left to frame her face. Her grin held the same excitement as the spark in her creamy brown eyes as she stumbled forward with outstretched arms.

"It's so nice to meet another girl in this game!" the unnamed girl squealed with her arms wrapped around Kei in a death grip. All that Kei could do was smile in response and give her a light pat on the back before she gently pushed her away at arms-length.

"Y-yeah," Kei gasped as she tried to catch her breath. She gave the player another look and noticed that she had pretty much the same clothes as herself. Well, the girl had a brown vest over her white long-sleeved shirt, but they both shared similar brown skirts. Kei smoothed down the front of her own white shirt and looked over at Roluz with arched eyebrows. He then stepped forward to place a hand on the girl's shoulder,

"This is Shina. I promised that I would show her around the game today," Roluz introduced her before gesturing towards Kei, "And this is Jin, Shina. She seems to be in your position, as well,"

"She is?" she smiled and grabbed onto her hands, "Join us! It'd be great to have someone besides a boy to talk to,"

"But we don't even know if she has anything else planned-" Roluz began to protest before Kei managed to slip one of her hands free and hold it up to stop him.

"I'd be happy to join you guys," she smiled at the two, "Now, how exactly do I use this sword?"

**xX..Xx**

"You got it!"

Kei watched in silence as the many shimmering fragments floated upwards for a few feet before they disappeared almost as suddenly as they appeared. The delay from her skill wore off just a second or two later and left her to stretch her arms. She then slid her sword back into its sheath and turned to face the cheering girl a couple yards away, "Thanks."

Shina nodded and put a hand on her hip to reach for the dagger hanging from her belt. She pulled out the small blade and held it out in front of her to examine briefly. A smile came to her lips as she brought the blade higher in the air and watched as it began to glow. She took a deep breath before she brought the weapon down and left a brief, glowing line in the air.

"Great! Now lets try it out on a real enemy." Roluz came up from behind the blonde with a screen floating in front of him. He tapped the surface a few times before waving it away, "We'll start out with a few boars."

"Boars?" Shina stopped going through her sword skills for a moment to look over at the boy in confusion, "You mean those disgusting things you've been talking about the last month?"

"Wait, month?" Kei cut in with furrowed eyebrows, "But the game was just released today."

"Isn't it obvious?" Shina giggled and she turned to rest a hand on his shoulder, "Roluz was a beta-tester for this game. Aren't we lucky?" A ghost of a smile came to his lips at her words and he unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck as seemed to struggle to find the right words to say. A few silent moments passed before Kei stepped forward and lightly punched his unoccupied shoulder.

"Pretty lucky. Now let's put that luck to use!"

Roluz nodded and was about to speak just as a small screen appeared before him. He didn't hesitate as a finger tapped the button and some more words appeared in its place. His eyes skimmed the message and he tapped another option to have a keyboard appeared. Once he typed out what he wanted he sent the message on its way and turned back to his two companions.

"Well, seems like you guys'll have the chance of meeting a friend of mine; a beta-tester. He's waiting for us back at town," he took Shina's hand in his own, "Let's go."

"Wait!" the couple paused to look back at Kei, "What about our training?"

"That can wait for a little while longer," Roluz said as he started walking once more. Shina looked over her shoulder at Kei with amusement seen in her eyes and simply shrugged. It must have been usual for the boy to go from one activity to another considering what her response was. Kei pushed a few silver strands behind her ears and sighed before she jogged the few feet necessary to catch up with them. He was probably right, after all. It wasn't like they needed to start leveling up right away. A nice chat with another beta-tester might even prepare them for the fights they would experience with the boars that they had been talking about.

The walk back to town took less than 10 minutes with their leisurely pace and they were once again among the bustling crowds. Kei found her eyes looking over all of the different people and she began to notice that they mainly consisted of boys. A few girls were seen here and there but they definitely weren't a majority. Perhaps that would change when the compliments from the new players started rolling in on all of the forums and such. She, herself, would make sure to say a few once she logged off for the night.

With Roluz as their guide they soon approached the door to a crowded tavern. The room inside must have been taken up because a few players had resorted to lingering outside as they talked in large clumps. He hesitated just long enough for Shina to notice and, of course, do something about it. Her hold on his hand tightened and she turned to grab Kei's. With the two in her grasp she dragged them along through the crowd and she somehow managed to find a path through all of the people to reach the door. Roluz pushed it open and the three managed to squeeze inside with the chattering of many people ringing in their ears.

"Come on," he managed to shout over all of the noise after he looked around the room. Shina looked over in the direction that Roluz pointed and she nodded before she once again took the lead. Two sets of aching toes and a few jabbing elbows later left Kei stumbling to a stop by one of the many booths that lined the walls. Shina pulled her onto the seat beside her and Roluz took one of the seats across from them. Kei looked over at the other occupied seat and she frowned. An unfamiliar boy sat there with a grimace on his face as well as shaking fingers running through his black hair. His golden eyes were locked on the table in front of him as he and Roluz exchanged greetings.

"Hey, Akio."  
"Eh... Hey, Roluz," his gaze briefly left the wooden surface to glance at Kei and Shina before his eyes once again averted away, "W-who are they?"

Roluz gestured to us as he spoke, "Well, I'm sure you've already heard of Shina," Akio nodded at the mention of her name, "and this is Jin. We met her not long after we originally logged on."

"Nice to meet you." Kei smiled and feebly waved at him. After a moment she slowly lowered her hand and rested it in her lap as silence settled over their little group. Eventually Shina cleared her throat and attempted to strike up a conversation with Akio.

"Sooo I've heard you were also a beta-tester. I bet that was fun!" she smiled warmly. Akio didn't say anything for a few seconds before he nodded. She smiled in trumph and she reached across the table to take his hands in her own, "Tell us some stories about it, then! With Roluz as a friend you must have had plenty of interesting adventures!"

The boy's face instantly turned red at her touch and he sputtered, "I-I don't r-really h-have any s-s-t-tories!" He tore his hands from her grasp and pressed back against his seat. His wide, panic-filled eyes startled Shina and she hung her mouth open in shock.

"I-I'm sorry!" she apologised and waved her hands frantically, "I just..." her sentence trailed off. Shina hung her head and Kei patted her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. For once the blonde seemed to be at a lost for words, and the thought frightened Kei.

"What's your problem?" she turned and snapped at the trembling boy. He stopped squirming around in his seat at her words and he peaked over at Roluz who seemed to be more concerned with Shina. He had a hand resting on the girl's and continued to whisper to her instead of acknowledging Kei. She frowned and turned back to Akio with some of her rage still seen in her tense shoulders.

"Why are you even here?" Kei asked, confused considering how skitsy the boy was, "You don't seem like you could last even a minute out there." He flinched at her words and a few seconds passed before he managed to look directly into her eyes. She narrowed her eyes and continued to stare right back at him. Silence followed. Eventually Akio took a few deep breaths and rested his hands on the table's wooden surface.

"You can thank Roluz for that. Without him..." he once again looked over at his friend, "I-I wouldn't have even come back for the official release."

"Well, you better shape up soon," Kei sighed and leaned back in her seat, "You'll only keep us back with how you're acting now." She definitely wasn't going to let some coward keep her from being able to fully experience the game. She did consider Sword Art Online to be an escape from her real life boundaries, after all. If she had to leave the group and go off on her own she would.

Shina peeked over at Kei from underneath her bangs, "At least we're all in the same boat. I mean, we're all at the same level." The rest of the group members murmured in agreement. It was at that moment that one of the NPCs of the tavern slipped through the crowd and up to their table. The plain-looking girl took their order and soon came back with various drinks for them. Akio paid for them, much to Kei's surprise, and the girl went off to tend to some other tables.

"Where the hell did you get the money?" Kei asked the boy as she sipped her tea.

"Ah... I did a quick run in the field before I came here," Akio mumbled from behind his own glass of plain water, "I-I don't have enough to really upgrade my gear yet, though."

"Don't worry. We'll all gather enough soon to get some decent weapons," Roluz assured his friend, "Speaking of which, we better head out soon. We don't want all of the good spots to get taken."

"We can't explore the town a bit more?" Shina pouted slightly before her usual smile once again lifted the corners of her mouth, "I guess we can save that for later on tonight. Let's go!" She stood up abruptly and began to pull on Kei's arm.

"Let me finish my drink first!" Kei yelped only for the girl to continue pulling her along anyway. Roluz sighed and patted Akio on the back before he also stood up from his seat and headed after the two girls. The strange group was able to reach the door rather quickly and they were back out on the streets in less than a minute with Akio scrambling after them. From there Roluz took the lead as they headed in the direction of the fields.

* * *

Yeah... this chapter wasn't all that exciting. Don't worry, though! The excitement will pick up next time! I just needed to get the introduction of the four main characters out of the way. Hopefully you all now have a pretty good idea on the personality of each and such. Stay tuned!


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